International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center facts for kids
CIMMYT in El Batan, Mexico
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| Formation | 1943, 1966 and officially established in 1971 |
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| Type | Non-profit research-for-development organization |
| Purpose | To develop improved varieties and sustainable farming methods of wheat and maize for improving livelihoods of the world's poor |
| Headquarters | El Batán, near Texcoco, State of Mexico, Mexico |
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Director General
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Bram Govaerts |
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Staff
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1,600 staff members working throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, and projects in over 40 countries |
| Website | cimmyt.org |
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center is known as CIMMYT. This name comes from its Spanish title, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo. CIMMYT is a non-profit group that does research. Its main goal is to help farmers grow better wheat and maize (corn). They want to make sure everyone has enough food.
CIMMYT also finds new ways to farm. This helps farmers produce more crops. It also helps prevent plant diseases. The organization works to improve the lives of small farmers. CIMMYT is one of 15 centers that are part of CGIAR. CIMMYT is famous for having the world's largest collection of maize and wheat seeds. This special collection is kept at its main office in Mexico. Bram Govaerts is the current leader of CIMMYT. He became the Director General in 2021.
Contents
How CIMMYT Started
CIMMYT began with a partnership. The Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation worked together. In 1943, they created the Office of Special Studies. This office was part of Mexico's agriculture department. Their goal was to make sure Mexico and other countries had enough food. They did this by breeding better plants.
This project grew into a team effort. Mexican and international researchers worked together. They set up networks around the world. These networks tested new types of crops. One of their researchers was Norman Borlaug. He was a wheat breeder. He developed new dwarf wheat varieties. These plants put more energy into growing grains. They also used fertilizer better than older types.
Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. He received it for helping to increase the world's food supply. The program changed its name to CIMMYT in 1963. It was still under the agriculture department. As more countries needed help, CIMMYT grew. It needed better organization and more money. So, in 1966, CIMMYT became its own non-profit group. It focused on science and education.
In the early 1970s, several groups came together. They formed CGIAR. This group wanted to spread agricultural research to more nations. CIMMYT was one of the first research centers to get support from CGIAR. Today, CGIAR has 15 centers. All of them work to ensure a sustainable food supply. They do this through scientific research.
What CIMMYT Does
CIMMYT scientists help national research groups. They also work with small and medium seed companies. This helps farmers get good, affordable seeds. They also share sustainable farming methods. These methods help small farmers.
CIMMYT's main office is in Mexico. But it also has 12 regional offices. These offices are in countries like India, Kenya, and China. They also have several experimental farms.
CIMMYT researchers promote better farming. They help farmers grow more food in a sustainable way. For example, they teach about no-till farming. This method lets farmers plant without plowing the soil. This saves time and helps the soil stay healthy. They also promote machines that help women farmers. These machines reduce hard work in Africa and South Asia.
CIMMYT has the world's largest collection of maize and wheat. It holds 28,000 unique types of maize. It also has 140,000 types of wheat. These seeds are shared with others. This helps develop new varieties. A copy of the wheat seeds is stored in Norway. It is kept at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. This huge collection helps create new maize and wheat types. These new types can grow more food. They can also survive bad weather and diseases.
CIMMYT scientists have developed many crop varieties. Last year, they developed 70% of the wheat varieties planted worldwide. They also developed about half of the world's corn varieties. CIMMYT believes its research has helped many farmers. About half of the maize and wheat grown in poorer countries use CIMMYT's improved seeds.
Challenges and Criticisms
CIMMYT aims for sustainability and self-sufficiency. However, one of its founders, Norman Borlaug, has faced criticism. Some people argue that his "Green Revolution" had mixed results. This revolution used high-yielding farming methods. While it stopped hunger in the short term, some say it caused problems later.
Critics of CIMMYT say we should look at the bigger picture. They argue that the Green Revolution changed farming for local farmers. They say farmers became dependent on expensive seeds. These seeds needed costly fertilizers. Farmers who could not afford them were pushed out of the market. This led to more inequality. Also, intense farming sometimes damaged soils. It also used up underground water.
Some sources suggest that US agricultural companies supported Borlaug. This was because his methods increased their sales worldwide. This happened as farmers relied more on patented seeds and chemicals.
However, a scientific study from 2003 offered a different view. It said it was unclear how developing countries could have fed their growing populations in the 20th century without these methods. It also noted that these methods might have had less environmental impact than other options.
Today, CIMMYT still works with many partners. These include public groups and private seed companies. They help farmers get improved seeds. They also help them access farming chemicals if they choose. One example is "StrigAway." This is a maize seed coated with herbicide. It fights a harmful weed called Striga. This weed affects millions of hectares in Africa.
Much of the wheat seed in the Global South comes from public groups. For maize, seed companies play a big role in selling seeds. CIMMYT's maize and wheat breeding research is free. It is available to all partners. This makes it a public good for everyone.
Partners and Funders
CIMMYT gets money from many groups. Key funders include:
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- CGIAR
- Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR)
- OCP Group
- Governments of Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, Norway, and the United States.
In the past, CIMMYT also received money from the European Commission and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Famous Scientists
- Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) – He was a wheat breeder. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. He also started the World Food Prize in 1986.
- Sanjaya Rajaram (1943-2021) – He won the World Food Prize in 2014.
- Surinder Vasal (born 1938) – He won the World Food Prize in 2000.
- Evangelina Villegas (1924-2017) – She was a biochemist. Her work with maize led to quality protein maize (QPM). She won the World Food Prize in 2000.
See also
In Spanish: Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo para niños
- CGIAR
- Green Revolution
